As the year comes to a close, so does the tenure of Assistant Principal Javier Rabelo. After dedicating 24 years to NVOT, Rabelo will be furthering his career at Passaic County Technical Institute as Director of STEM.

Without Rabelo’s hard work and dedication, the state of NVOT would be extremely different than its state today.

The assistant principals’ offices next year will be filled by Dr. Jennifer Mezzina and Dr. Robert Hyman, faces familiar to the school as they spent a large portion of the past school year in the main office alongside Rabelo. Having spent so much time with Rabelo, Hyman reflected on his time with his mentor.

“Every day, we meet up in the faculty cafeteria, eat, and talk about any and everything that’s going on in the school, the world, and our lives.  More than anything, I’ll miss those lunches and having such a direct pipeline to Mr. Rabelo’s wisdom,” Hyman said.  

Beyond Hyman, other faculty members remember the great legacy he has left. Mrs. Jennifer Dee, English teacher, said “everything [about Mr. Rabelo will be missed], but especially his warmth and infectious smile.”

Mrs. Stacie Collins, English teacher, said she will “sorely” miss Mr. Rabelo’s “level-headed intelligence.”

While students may see him as an Assistant Principal who they strive to impress, according to Dee, “at his core,” Rabelo is an “effusively mushy person.” Either way, the mark Rabelo has left on this school cannot be ignored and he will truly be missed by everyone.